The Cypress High School girls basketball team has had an eventful first month of the new year. The first game they had this year was against Wilson High School and they won 66 to 45, which is the first game against them since December 28 of 2019. January 18, Cypress High School’s girls basketball team won their game against Kennedy, 43 to 33. This was the first game they played against Kennedy since April of 2021. Varsity girls basketball finished 2nd in the Empire League, and the Freshmen team finish 1st! Coach Nathaniel Rivera said the way they prepare for the games is “scouting out the other teams by watching their games to see their plusses and minuses and see what they’re strong points at and their weak points.”

His favorite things about coaching basketball is watching his team grow and improve on how they play and teaching them life through basketball. Like how being disciplined and being on time is important. Rivera said coaching girls basketball isn’t hard, and that you need to get to know girls to really coach them. Knowing their attitude and what they’re strong in and what they’re weak in is helpful. The way he brings his team together is they go out and eat dinner together, because food brings people together. They are more like a family than a team because most of the girls on the team have been there for multiple years. One team member, Jan Lim, has been on the Varsity team since her freshman year and is now the captain of the basketball team. Lim said, “It’s kind of stressful being captain but still very fun.” Even though Lim loves basketball and says it’s very fun, she says “it’s still very difficult and draining, because you have to be mentally prepared for everything. because there is always a chance of getting injured.” The way she mentally prepares for a game is by calming down and listening to music and focusing on what she’s going to do in the game. Myia Collins, has been on the team since her sophomore year. She says, “Basketball is fun and I really enjoys it.” Something Collins has improved on is being more confident, She said, “before I was shy but being in basketball has made me more confident.” The Cypress High girls basketball team is an amazing team that is having a great season and feels like a loving family like team.